JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- David Noll, Jr. of Dalton
took an early lead, then held off a late charge from Augusta State
men’s golf coach Josh Gregory to win his second Atlanta
Amateur Match Play Championship Sunday morning by a 2-up margin at
Rivermont Golf & Country Club. Gregory conceded the match to
Noll on 18 after his long par putt slid past the hole and Noll had
just two feet for his par.
Noll came out strong, building a 3-up lead through four holes. He
got it back to 3 holes two more times - after No. 7 and No. 12 -
both with birdies. He owned a 3-up lead with five holes to play,
but Gregory made two key birdie putts over the next four holes, and
despite an unlucky break on 16, kept the match close heading into
18.
Gregory's final charge began on the 151-yard, par-3 14th, where he
connected on a six-foot birdie putt and Noll missed an
eight-footer.
Gregory then won the 15th hole with par after he was on the green
in two and Noll's approach landed in thick rough on the edge of a
greenside bunker.
After winning two straight holes and reducing Noll's lead to just
1-up (the closest it had been the entire match), Gregory certainly
had some momentum heading into the 422-yard 16th. But after Noll
stuck his approach to two feet, Gregory's second shot hit the
wicker basket atop the flagstick and ricocheted clear across the
green to the fringe on the far side, essentially securing the hole
for Noll.
With Noll dormie two, Gregory continued to keep things interesting.
On the 200-yard 17th, he was away, 25 feet from the hole, and sank
the birdie putt. Noll's 20-footer was slightly off the mark, and he
went to 18 with just a 1-up advantage.
Gregory's tee shot on 18 hit a tree, then his second shot came to
rest just right of the green. His chip rolled across to the green's
left edge. Noll was on the front of the green in two and putted to
two feet.
Gregory's long par attempt was close, but trailed past the hole to
give Noll the victory.
Noll, who also won this event in 2005, joins a long list of
champions with multiple titles in this event, but is the first
since Rocky Costa of Alpharetta captured the second of his two
titles in 2000.
Entries were open to male amateur golfers who are members of a GSGA
Member Club. A total of 32 players competed in the match play
bracket after 18 holes of stroke play qualifying.
Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received
its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA
has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in
the country, with over 365 member clubs and 85,000 individual
members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the
state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service,
course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule
of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups.
Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program,
award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and
rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two
college scholarship programs.
For more information, visit www.gsga.org.
87th Annual Atlanta Amateur
Match Play Championship
Rivermont Golf & Country Club
Johns Creek, Ga.
Oct. 2-5, 2008
Match Play Results
Friday, Oct. 3
Round of 32
1 Greg Bradford, Talking Rock def. 32 Jack Hall, Sea Island (76), 20 holes
17 Bill Leonard, Kennesaw (74) def. 16 Greg Nichols, Alpharetta (74), 1 up
25 JOSH GREGORY, AUGUSTA (75) def. 8 Anders Albertson, Woodstock (71), 1 up
24 Chad Griffith, LaGrange (75) def. 9 Graham Redfearn, Cumming (72), 4 & 3
4 Chris Hall, Kennesaw (70) def. 29 Dan Barkley, Roswell (76), 3 & 2
20 Dave Sexton, Suwanee (75) def. 13 Jeff Knox, Augusta (73), 2 up
5 William Mitchell, Roswell (71) def. 28 Lee Denis, Comer (76), 3 & 2
21 Ryan Wilson, Pooler (75) def. 12 Jim Pratl, Dacula (73), 4 & 3
2 Brandon Nelson, Roswell (68) def. 31 Jacob Keen, Lilburn (76), 8 & 7
15 David Noll Jr., Dalton (73) def. 18 Hector Cora, Atlanta (74), 4 & 2
26 Deron Hornbach, Atlanta (76) def. 7 Jorge Cora, Atlanta (71), 2 & 1
10 Erik Daniels, Marietta (72) def. 23 Rick Leslie, Cumming (75), 1 up
30 Chris Chuck, Roswell (76) def. 3 Greg Kennedy, Duluth (70), 20 holes
14 Erik Martin, Alpharetta (73) def. 19 Nate Balanis, Valdosta (74), 3 & 1
27 Winston Morris, Marietta (76) def. 6 Keith Hadelman, Atlanta (71), 3 & 2
22 Doug Stiles, Athens (75) def. 11 John Belicka, Atlanta (73), 20 holes
* -- Number preceding name is seed; number in parentheses is qualifying score
Round of 16
Bradford def. Leonard, 1 up
GREGORY def. Griffith, 3 & 2
Hall def. Sexton, 4 & 3
Mitchell def. Wilson, 2 & 1
Noll def. Nelson, 20 holes
Hornbach def. Daniels, 6 & 4
Chuck def. Martin, 3 & 1
Morris def. Stiles, 19 holes
Saturday, Oct. 4
Quarterfinals
GREGORY def. Bradford, 1 up
Hall def. Mitchell, 5 & 4
Noll def. Hornbach, 2 up
Morris def. Chuck, 4 & 3
Semifinals
Gregory def. Hall, 2 & 1
Noll def. Morris, 3 & 2
Sunday, Oct. 5
Finals
Noll def. GREGORY, 2 up